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"I guess I just don't understand why she thinks she's got the right to leapfrog so many women who have been working their asses off at NXT just because she believes she deserves to be here," Brie was sitting with Paige, who was left by AJ just mere hours ago.
Paige shrugged, not one to talk ill of her good friend. "I can see why you feel that way, but she's already shattered her personal glass ceiling. And I'm not saying that just because I'm her friend."
"Maybe, but I hope she doesn't expect to skip on in here and compete for the title right off the bat."
"I doubt it. I know that Stephanie is still pretty unhappy with how she left, following in Phil's footsteps like that. She'll be punished for it. And, honestly, it's a wonder that they welcomed her back at all," Nikki spoke up, sitting on the other side of her sister. After making their grand entrance to the pub, the rumors were buzzing about AJ butting heads once again with Michelle Beadle, and Nikki was sorry she'd missed it. Not particularly being fond of either woman, it would've at least been cheap entertainment for the evening.
"I know you two don't like her much, but please try to be decent towards her," Paige urged the twins, both of which rolled their eyes as if on cue.
"Do you not recall the awful things she said about Total Divas?" Brie took a sip of her cranberry and vodka, raising an eyebrow at her friend.
"Of course I do, but she's...changed a lot. The people we date, or hang around with, or in her case, marry...seem to have a direct influence on how we think and feel. And I believe with all my heart that she's finally figuring out who she is, without CM Punk."
Nikki stuck her bottom lip out, pretending to fake cry. "What a sob story," she replied, wiping her non-existent tears.
"No kidding. Like, sure, Bryan has influenced me greatly, but never badly. Just because CM Junk is a jealous asshole doesn't mean it gives her any right to be," Brie pointed out.
Paige nodded, knowing fully well she was not going to change their minds. "She's just in a real funk," she said, drinking another beer. She almost wanted to spill what happened between AJ and Punk, in hopes of gaining some backstage sympathy for the Black Widow. But, she thought better of it, as she was sworn to absolute secrecy. AJ was a mess, and Paige knew that it was going to take some pretty heavy-duty duct tape to piece herself back together.
It was almost a week since AJ had the misfortune of running into Michelle Beadle. The rumors had quieted down, and nobody really cared anymore about how well she did-or didn't-conduct herself.
In the meantime, she threw herself into her work almost as much as when she was a rookie. Finding it took a huge amount off from her busy mind, she even noticed muscles that she didn't even realize existed. Spending more time with the weights than actual people was somewhat liberating, as they had no opinions of her.
But when she walked into her hotel room later that day, her slow, increasingly positive attitude was halted.
The envelope was there on the table. She'd had her lawyer send it to the WWE headquarters, as she couldn't be certain of what city she'd be in at the time. From there, it would be delivered to wherever she might be. The orangeish color was intimidating, the thickness very telling of the outcome of her paperwork.
She already knew what it was, and already knew what it had in it. Still, she sent a text to Paige, urging her to swing by after she was finished taping a segment for Total Divas. Paige responded quickly, but was apologetic in her text message: she had to film something for the WWE Network immediately following her current endeavor.
The envelope stared at her, and AJ decided that she just couldn't, and wouldn't, sit through this alone.
Gathering up physical strength and any amount of courage she had hiding, she peeked out the door and into the hallway, hoping that maybe Bayley or Becky Lynch were roaming the hallways...they were friendly faces, and AJ was sure they'd be willing to just sit in the same room as her.
Instead, she recognized someone that she didn't necessarily like, but hey, beggers can't be choosers. Right?
"Hey, John," she waved towards the purple-shirted man, who looked around as if she might've been talking to a ghost.
Even though she'd been thrown into stupid love triangles with John Cena, and he'd actually given her pretty valuable constructive criticism regarding her explosive character, she still had this weird attitude towards him. Maybe it was because of his extremely prolific relationship status, or maybe because he was considered (and unfortunately so) the male equivalent of AJ. Whatever the case was, she just didn't trust him in the least.
Yet, she still wanted someone to be there for her, because who knew what she was about to do...
"Hey...April," he finally spoke, surprised that she even acknowledged him. After their storyline fizzled out, she'd stated publicly; which soon was picked up on by various websites; that he was arrogant, hard to work with, and had a hard time selling their on-screen relationship because of his dislike for the tiny woman.
"Hey. Um, I know you hate my guts, but can I borrow you for a second? I just...I came back and found something in my room, and I don't really want to go it alone," she realized how vague she was being, but she thought for sure the angst in her voice and the perturbed look on her face was enough to bring him into her room while she opened up the beginning of the end.
"Is anyone else in there?" John Cena was hardly the type to just jump into any divas room, knowing fully well how quickly the gossip could go south if the wrong person saw him entering or exiting a room that didn't belong to his girlfriend.
"No," she stated flatly. "And I swear on my life that I am not playing any games. I just want someone here with me, for a second."
Glancing around, Cena finally gave a defeated sigh. "If you're up to any funny business, count me out," he said as he followed her inside. But when he eyed up the envelope in question, he shot her a quick, knowing glance.
"So the rumors are true," he said to her after a long moment, both of them staring at the issue as though it was a dead animal.
"Of course they are," she answered. "I'm here, aren't I?"
"I guess I hadn't thought of it that way. And look, even though he called quits, you shouldn't throw away your dream solely based off from someone you care about," he said knowingly, and AJ bit her lip so that she didn't correct his statement.
She wanted to scream to the whole world that she was the one who filed for the big d, not her husband. But, she supposed, the details didn't really matter.
"I know, I've been there," John continued, oblivious to the blank expression on AJ's face. "Liz wanted me to give up everything I'd accomplished, and I just didn't see the sense in that. She'd argued that I'd made enough money, that now it was time to stay at home and be a husband-and father-and I'd realized that I wasn't prepared for either of those roles. See, Phil is at that point. But I can see that you have so much more left in you, just like I did. He left at the point where he felt he couldn't do anything more. But you? You left when you still had this company by the nuts."
Even though John Cena had his story very twisted, AJ could understand his point. Yeah, she'd stepped away from the business even though, in her heart, she wasn't completely ready. She didn't really know what to prepare for as far as married life went, but it wasn't much different than what they were already doing. Phil wasn't home much, and she busied herself with other things. She, however, had hinted that eventually she'd wanted a family, whereas he shot that idea down all the time.
"I appreciate you being here. I just don't know what to expect," she admitted, her anxious mind going awry. They'd signed a pre-nup, of course; Phil wouldn't have it any other way. As if that weren't a red-flag.
Still, she almost expected that he'd make some ridiculous demands. Like keep her dog, Nacho, that he loved, too. Or perhaps some copyright bullshit for use of his last name during her time with the Beautiful Disaster clothing line. Either way, at least she wasn't alone. If she started punching walls, at least someone would be able to stop her from injuring herself.
Taking a deep, reluctant breath, she'd opened the envelope, eyeing the contents. It was much thinner than she'd expected, and she was happy to see that Phil hadn't returned paperwork of his own. Relieved, she pulled the full document, watching John cross and uncross his arms.
"He's not trying to take any more money, at least," she said quietly.
"That's a great start," he nodded, acting much more cool than he probably felt. AJ was sure he felt awkward being there, but she had to note how much of a trooper he was being. This guy didn't owe her a damn thing, yet here he was, being supportive as AJ unveiled the signed divorce papers, giving a final closure to her failed marriage.
Her heart sunk a little bit as she'd recognized his penmanship. She almost wished he'd written her an apology. Or offered any kind of explanation. But, she figured, maybe it was best this way. No loose ends. Besides, she already knew what happened, and she also knew that it wasn't her fault.
But with his signature, Philip Brooks, scrawled across the bottom of the papers, she felt like she'd made a huge mistake. She could feel the hot tears in her eyes already, and John was already at her side, offering a sincere, friendly hug.
"It's not your fault. The business we do...what we do...this is very normal," he said into her hair, as she let herself crumble, yet again. She felt like a small child in his massive arms, and even though she wished she was being comforted by AJ, she was extremely grateful that the great John Cena had made an ounce of time in his hectic day for something that seemed so ridiculous.
"I didn't think it'd be so soon," she said, something she'd thought all the time.
"Of course not," Cena replied, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder. She was aware that her tears were beginning to wet the shirt he was wearing.
"When I think back, to our wedding night, or when he proposed, or all the stuff we did together, it really sucks," she said through choked tears.
"I know it sucks, AJ, but seriously, I swear on my whole entire existence that someone will walk into your life, and you'll understand why it didn't work out the way you planned it to," he told her. "I got lucky and met Nicole. She's made me more aware of myself, and made me change my whole outlook. Even though it's obvious I don't want marriage or kids, the person I am while I'm with her is a happier, more relaxed version of myself. One day, you'll find that in someone, too," he gave her a small hug, stepping away from her.
Stunned at how much better he was actually making her feel, she stood there quietly, then began walking towards the door to escort him out.
"I'm really sorry this happened to you. But you'll get through it. Because I know you're a fighter, and I can guarantee that there is a better match for you," he gave an awkward shrug as he made his way to the door.
"I really appreciate you being here," she said again, her tears finally fading away.
"I know, AJ," he said, turning the knob. "Life throws us some serious bullshit sometimes, but I know you're going to rise up from this."
He left, and surprisingly, she felt as though she could run the world. Having someone who'd lived through the exact same drama coach her a little changed the way she thought about the whole situation.
AJ felt as though she was ready to rise up from the ashes and begin again. Feel again. And be the person she knew she could be.
"Nikki, I'm just telling you what I saw. And I can guarantee I saw your man just leaving AJ's room," Dolph Ziggler spoke to his ex-girlfriend, who was busy on the elliptical machine. She seemed to consider what he was saying, but clearly wasn't buying it.
"Dolph...John and I trust each other. So even if he stopped by, he probably had offered her some advice or something. Trust me, there's no way he'd trade in this-" she absentmindedly pointed to her chest-"for someone who looks like a twelve year old boy."
Dolph chuckled, but shook his head. "I know you think he's the greatest thing in the world, but she's clearly hurting. So she's going to look to anyone-and I mean, anyone-who gives her any sort of attention. Don't be surprised if she's knocking down Vince's door with an idea for a new storyline or something," he guffawed, and Nikki rolled her eyes.
"I seriously doubt it," she kept going on with her workout, not even looking at her ex-boyfriend's face anymore. "You're right, she is hurting. That's why I doubt she'd step on any of our toes. She knows better than that," Nikki grabbed the water bottle sitting in the hold, taking a drink while keeping her legs in motion.
"Yeah, maybe you're right. Or...maybe her goal is to get over a failed marriage by slutting it up with whoever is willing," Dolph raised an eyebrow, which caught Brie's attention across the room, over on a stationary cycle.
Nikki slowed her pace, knowing he was making an intentional jab at her own past. She'd stated just a few years back she'd already been married, which ended badly, before her time with the WWE.
"I know you did not just bring that up, because you wouldn't dare," Brie called to him.
"You can probably just leave before I knock your pretty teeth where they don't belong," Nikki threatened. "And don't pretend you knew what was going on in my life after I got my marriage annulled."
Dolph spun on his heels, now catching Alicia Fox's attention as well. "I don't have to pretend to know, Nicole. I was there," he said nonchalantly, leaving the three recognized members of Team Bella.
Nikki got down from her machine after he'd left, seething at the audacity.
"Remind me that he's an arrogant pig," she breathed as Alicia Fox and Brie came over to her, both shaking their heads at what they'd just seen unfold. Nikki sort of wished the Total Divas cameras could've caught that altercation, since it would probably boost the ratings.
"Of course he is," Brie told her sister. "And even though I know you're not going to get what you want in life with John, I sure don't think Ziggy is going to be a winning prize, either."
Nikki turned to her sister, her mouth open. "Really, Briana? Fuck off," she was now really annoyed, being reminded she'd put her family plans in the back of her mind, something that was likely to never happen.
The leader of the pack left the other two in a huff, and Alicia Fox turned to the smaller twin.
"Well, I mean, it's true," she said to the mocha-skinned woman, who nodded. The pair made their way out, too, passing the WWE champion, Seth Rollins.
Bitch, Seth thought to himself as the big-boobed Bella pushed past him, not even uttering an "excuse me" his way.
Seth was ready for his third work out of the day, and it was only about one o'clock in the afternoon. But he didn't have a lot to pass his time until tomorrow night's episode of Raw, and because of that, he was doing anything to fill his day up.
Anything.
He'd gotten a phone call from his Zahra just an hour or so ago, and that put him in almost an instantly terrible mood. He'd told her a thousand times over how he was just done with her, yet she still pressed forward, implying that she'd be hoping to spend some time with him after he'd finished taping Smackdown a few days later.
"I know you miss being tangled up in me," she said quietly, her voice sultry and tempting. But that's exactly how Zahra was; she'd latch on to someone, and when she wanted someone, she got them. Even if the person her sights were set on happened to be engaged.
Seth shook off the chills she'd just given him, remembering how shitty things got in his life because of Zahra and her manipulative ways.
"Zee, listen. You're free to text me, but I've got a lot going on here," he stood his ground, even though the idea of spending hours in bed with the wild, feisty woman was very intriguing. "You know as well as I do that I don't have time for any relationships."
Zahra huffed in the fun. "Oh, Sethie, you should know me better. As if I want a relationship," she was getting shaken up, and Seth could hear it in her voice now.
"Yeah, of course not," he was only half-listening, but he knew better than to believe any of that cock and bull. Chicks always got attached, and even though she was notably trashy, Seth already knew that eventually, feelings would develop. So, no. No, no, nope.
"Fine, forget it," she finally said, an edge to her tone as she curtly said goodbye to him.
Glad to be finally rid of her for now, he nodded towards Roman Reigns as he did his regular bench press.
Roman grunted in response, barely acknowledging his former Shield brother.
Seth sighed, hoping one day, his colleagues would just forgive him for his stupid choices. His couple of friends were great, but he certainly missed being friends with everyone. He missed when people would make a point to stop and talk to him. Maybe one day, things would get better.
Until then...well, at least he had the clanking of the weights.